EchoEffekte

EchoEffekte refers to effects that create or simulate echoes, i.e., repetitions of a sound after a delay. In acoustics, echoes arise when sound waves reflect from surfaces and return to the listener with a measurable time gap. If the delay is short, the effect blends into reverberation; longer delays create discrete echoes.

Electronic echo effects are produced by delaying an input signal and routing a portion of the delayed signal back into the input, with adjustable parameters such as delay time, feedback, and mix. Modern devices use digital delay lines or emulation of analog tape delays; common variants include slapback (short delay with a single repetition), multi-tap delays, and ping-pong or stereo echoes.

Historically, tape-based delay devices introduced warm, degraded repeats and saturation, influencing popular music from the mid-20th century onward. Digital delay units and software plugins replaced or complemented hardware, offering precise control, longer delays, modulation, filtering, and sync to tempo.

In music production and live sound, EchoEffekte are used to add space, depth, rhythmic interest, or to create distinct textures. They are also used in film sound design and in architectural acoustics modeling to understand how spaces transform sounds.

Typical parameters include delay time (from a few milliseconds to seconds), feedback (how much of the output is fed back), dry/wet mix, filter damping, and modulation depth or rate. Variants include tape-emulation, reverse delay, and granular or looping echoes.

See also: echo, delay, reverb, sound reinforcement.